The End And Beginning Of His World As He Knows It
by NinjaInAnImaginaryLondon
Summary: Two hours to the epic demonic smackdown battle at Stark Tower, Tony Stark, the overconfident billionaire extrodinaire is nervous. Not because of the upcoming insanity, but but because of a certain Avenger he happens to like... a lot. SLASH. Iron Man/Captain America, and if you don't like it don't read it or flame it. Rated T for swearing, because that's just what Tony does.
1. In Loving Agony

**My first try at a slash fic, first try at an Avengers fic, so I hope it's good. Please review :) [I'm secretly a mushy romantic at heart, so these kinds of stories are common with me.]**

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Tony Stark was never exactly a particularly common sense centric person. Therefore, it was of no surprise to anyone when he went out and nearly got himself killed trying to Hellicarrier in lofty perch in the air. Nearly getting killed was the specialty of Tony Stark, aka Iron Man. This time, however, it was finally in the midst of a heroic act that he was almost not alive anymore.

Tony wouldn't admit it, but secretly he had feared for his life when Rogers (as he like to call Captain America in his head) hadn't been able to pull the lever at the right time that would slow down the hoverfan's blades. Being smashed around them was like being in a blender; his only saving grace was his outer shell of metal and Rogers overcoming the gunners and pulling that red lever.

That didn't mean he forgave Rogers for pulling the lever late, though. He mostly totally ignored the star-spangled hero, avoided him, even. The only time he ever did talk to Rogers was a passing snide comment or two, like he did to everyone else. But lately everyone else had noticed he was avoiding everyone on the ship, Rogers especially. Tony's snarky comments had become even more caustic and biting and sarcastic, hurtful. He seemed irritated and annoyed at every little thing, especially every move Captain America made.

The Avengers just assumed it was because Loki (that bastard) had decided to use Stark Tower as his starting point of the oncoming apocalypse. Yet they all noticed how he took out his anger on Steve; and they all thought it rather curious. Part of his anger actually was because of Loki; but it was a small part. As it always turns out to be with Anthony Stark, nothing was as it seemed.

Truth was, Tony Stark was in love.

Tony Stark, billionaire extraordinaire, playboy, occasional drinker, man with a metal suit, known by nearly every person on the planet, was in love?

No doubt. It was the only reasonable explanation of why whenever he got near… them, his heart started beating like a desperate prisoner pounding on the walls of his cell. And his heart kind of was like a prisoner, because he kept his feelings locked up in an emotion-proof cage inside him. He hid it very well, he thought. Not that he knew he was wrong…

The Hellicarrier was about two and a half hours from New York City, and Tony would have loved to have gone on an insane Hulk-like killing rampage. Not out of fear, or anger, or depression, or just a sudden maniacal urge, but rather because of who he was forced to stand next to during the run-through of events before the big battle. It was positively infuriating for the normally calm and collected billionaire. Especially, 'specially 'specially, because he had no idea if his crush liked him back… like this. His crush an Avenger who wasn't Natasha, so that made the whole "crush" situation more awkward, because that meant that his crush was a _guy_. Awkward much?

And now, Tony was going to have to somehow fight demon hordes alongside _him._ Damn. Well, it wouldn't be just _him_ and Tony, of course, because the rest of the Avengers would be fighting too. But still. This just could not turn out so good. With the other superhero near him, he didn't know how he'd manage; his crush was just simply too… well, _sexy_ to ignore, even in the middle of a battle to save the world.

The injustice of it all.

After the debriefing, Tony walked back to his room in the Avenger's quarters' hallway in stony silence, and only those who knew him very well (of which there are few) could read the slight signs of worry on his face, but to the rest of the world, he looked as normal as ever. His mind was actually running a few million miles an hour faster than normal, his heart rate was probably through the roof, and if anyone that wasn't an Avenger would've walked in his path, he would've given them such a death glare they might've actually died. Nobody messes with Tony Stark when he's in a mood, even if he only looked normal.

But of course, this being the royally fucked-up life of Tony Stark, someone just had to come down the hallway toward him. Good thing they were an Avenger, otherwise they'd be dead as stone.

Tony glared at the man. "Hey, Capsicle. How'd you manage to get here from the opposite side of the hall, when we both just came back from the same boring old meeting?"

"There are two exits out of the meeting room, Stark. It's the same distance from both exits to this hall, why?" Captain America, Steve Rogers, frozen for 70 years, smiled a little and chuckled as he finished his explanation and consequential question.

"Eh, just wondering, Stripey."

"Hey," Rogers blurted just as Tony was turning to open the door to his room, "Do you want to go to one of the lounge rooms with me? Just to, I dunno, talk, I guess, in the hour we have before we have to suit up again and face the oncoming hell. I don't know you very well, and it might be nice to now instead of later, since by then one of us might be dead."

Tony only turned away and muttered something about repairing something on his Iron Man suit and quickly stepped into his room, closing the door a little too fast to be how he always closed a door.

Captain America just shrugged and said, "Well, fine then. See you later, Tony." Steve Rogers went into his room across the hall from Tony's and sat on his bed, with a slight smile on his face. He knew all that he needed to, now. His assumption had been right… That, and Steve knew quite well that the very first thing Tony had done before going to the debriefing was fix all the dents and such in his Iron Man suit. It was, after all, the billionaire's top priority. Steve smiled again. He could read Tony like an open book; it wasn't hard to tell, really.

Tony Stark was leaning with his back on his door. Steve had just called him Tony! That was a first… and wait a second, had he just called Rogers Steve? Another first, this time for him. Maybe he should take Steve… no, _Rogers_, up on his offer. This could be the start of…

No! What was he thinking? This couldn't happen. No, no, no. Captain America, Steve Rogers, was his childhood hero, not… not… _his crush!_

But apparently, his heart and body had ideas opposite of that of his brain. His mind screamed, _NO! _, but yet his hand reached for that doorknob and opened the door against his will, and at the time, he thought, his better judgment.

His body reacted for him, entirely on its own, and walked across the hall to Steve's room. Once again his hand reached for the door to knock on it, but this time he froze, his hand just inches from the wood, his mind finally catching up.

Should he be doing this? he wondered, pondering what to do. But once again his body won over, and he knocked on the door to the room of the one man he pretended to hate… if only to cover up his love.

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**CLIFFHANGER! Please review, it makes me happy! Constructive criticism, please. :)**


	2. What's being implied here?

**THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to all my reviewers! I love you all! This is so far the most popular of all the stories I've ever written, thanks to you guys. HUGZ FOR ALL! Here is the new chapter most of you asked for. Thanks guys!**

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Finally, Tony knocked on Steve's door. He felt kind of stupid doing it, but that was probably just because he was so nervous he could just die right there on the spot. It was a wonder he hadn't started twitching yet or something.

Of course, as would be expected, Steve opened the door. "Tony?" he asked. At the sound of his name, Tony blinked in a slightly startled expression. He was just not used to Steve… no, _Rogers_, calling him by his first name. Crazy world, crazy world.

"Hey, Capsicle. I was bored, so I figured I'd take you up on your offer. But only if you buy me coffee, since Mr.-Freaking-Fury won't just hand it over for free." Tony's expression became dark. He practically lived off of coffee sometimes, and the prospect of someone keeping it from him was not a pleasant thought.

Knowing just how much Tony loved coffee (not that he was following Tony around, it was just obvious he loved coffee due to 90% of the time he had a cup of it in his hand), he smiled and said "Sure, whatever. I was going to buy myself one anyway, so it's no problem. Just let me go get my… phone." He was still having trouble comprehending that device thing. It was such a _nuisance_ to Steve. That touchscreen thing was so bothersome. Anyway, the reason he needed the phone was not because he thought someone would try to get a hold of him; but rather, because he needed to tell a few people what was going on… and just how spectacularly this whole situation was going.

His plan was in motion.

As he went back into his room to retrieve that pesky little technologically advanced cell phone thing, and consequently text Natasha to tell her they were both right in their assumptions, and to text Clint to try to get that 20 bucks out of him from their little bet, he left Tony standing outside the door to his room. Being the nosy person he is, Tony took a look inside the temporary living quarters of the legendary Captain America.

The walls were bare. The room was simple, completely different from Tony's room. Tony liked complicated things, so his room's walls were covered in temporarily mounted touch-TV screens, there was various bits of mechanical stuff lying around, and his bed was never made. So unlike Capsicle here. His room was so neat. So organized. Tony thought it a nice contrast from himself. So different, it was refreshing.

He was startled out of his thoughts by the sound of his phone going off. _Damn,_ he thought, _who the hell wants to get a hold of me now?_

As it turned out, it was only a text… From Natasha, oddly enough. She didn't really seem to take much notice of Tony, so her texting him was something new.

**Hey** read the message, **what are you doing?**

Tony decided to answer. **Going for coffee with Capsicle, why?**

**No reason… **answered Natasha. For some reason, Tony was getting the impression that Natasha's motives were not what she was telling him.

**Why do you want to know, Spiderwoman?**

**None of your business, Anthony Edward Obnoxious Stark.**

**My name is NOT obnoxious! Jeez, I'm only going out with Steve for coffee, my gods. Which, speaking of one of them, is Thor, whom I will sic on you and I will have him beat you up with his oversized hammer if you don't shut up!**

He could practically _feel_ the Black Widow's smirk through her text. **I think somebody's a little overprotectiiiiiiiiive…. **

Was she implying what Tony thought she was implying?_**What**_** do you mean by that, Miss Romanoff?**

**;) TONY'S GOT A DAAAATE, TONY'S GOT A DAAAATE! ;D **

Well, this being the royally fucked-up life of Tony Stark, she was indeed implying exactly what he thought she was implying.

**SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP NOT TRUE OH THE HELL NO! YOU ARE A SICK WOMAN! ABSOLUTELY SICK! SHUT THE FUCK UP!**

**Someone sounds embarrassed… cuz someone has a crush… ON CAPTAIN AMERICA! Ooooooooooohhhhh!**

To say the least, Tony was royally pissed.

**Natasha Romanoff, **he carefully tapped out, adding as much malice to his words as he could, **you are a dead woman. Upcoming battle or no.**

**I'd be snarky like you and reply "Love you too, Tony", but I can't because that'd be a lie and your Captain might get jealous.**

It took a second for her words to sink in. Had she just said…?

**WTF? Why… would Rogers be jealous?**

**Oops, got to go. Talk to you later, annoying.**

**I hate you Natasha.**

**Natasha?**

**NATASHA ROMANOFF YOU ARE A PAIN IN MY ASS, YOU HEAR ME? **

She didn't answer. Gods, he hated that woman. She could be such a bothersome person when she wanted to be. As he stared at his phone with as much hate and maliciousness as humanly possible, he was once again startled, this time by Steve reappearing in the doorway.

"Why are you staring at your phone like that? I'm sure your phone doesn't appreciate it."

Tony rolled his eyes, hoping the eye-rolling would cover up the look of hopeless love in them. "It's just Natasha. She was texting me just now and she was being a bitch at me." He could see Steve flinch at his foul language. Oh whatever, a little curse here and there never killed anyone… yet…

Anyway, something seemed to have changed in the few minutes it had taken for Rogers to "find his phone." He was smiling more than before, if such a thing was possible. _Wait, _said Tony's brain to itself, _When exactly did he start smiling? It's such a nice smile… but since when? He'd been miserable the whole time he's been on this flying thing, but now here he is… him and his gorgeous smile._

"Well then shouldn't you go tell Natasha you don't like it when she's not nice to you? It'd solve the issue better than... swearing." Tony loved that Steve didn't swear. It was so childishly innocent, and therefore damned-fucking-_cute-as-hell-and-heaven-on-earth…_

"But you see here, Cap, I can't go off and yell at how pissed off I am at her, because you-" he poked Steve in the chest, "owe me a coffee. Now. Before I die of caffeine withdrawal, I need my caffeine."

"Ok, ok, jeez Tony. Don't be pushy, or no coffee for you." The taller man started walking away, leaving Tony to snap out of his thoughts of just how hot he thought Steve looked from his current vantage point. Running slightly to catch up, he almost wished he hadn't decided to go through with this whole venture. It was mostly due to the fact that he had been caught in the act of lying. There was nothing Tony Stark hated more than caught in the act of lying.

"So, Tony…" Steve said causally. "I thought you had to repair your Iron Man suit and that's why you couldn't come for coffee with me."

Oh, shit. Caught in the act.

"Uhhhhhhhh…."

"What, the great Tony Stark, lost for words?" Steve teased.

"No, I'm just _thinking _of how terrible of a liar I am."

"So you admit you're a liar?"

"Noooooo, I just lie occasionally to cover stuff up that I don't want anybody to know." Oh, shit. He shouldn't have said that, shouldn't have said that, shouldn't have!

"Hmmm…"

"Wipe that thinking look off your face, Rogers. It's bothering me. What are you thinking of, anyway?"

Steve smiled again. "You."

Tony was slightly shocked, to say the least. "W-… Why?"

Steve shrugged. "Because you're a fascinating person, Tony."

Again with the shocked. "I'm not that fascinating. I'm a guy with a suit of armor, is all."

With a shake of his blonde head, all Steve did was chuckle again. He turned away. "You just don't get it, do you?" he whispered, almost to himself.

"Wha-"

Suddenly, they were at the lounge area. The coffee machine was just across the room from them, and Tony guessed later that it was what Steve had used to change the current topic of conversation.

"Come on, Tony. Go get your coffee, here's the money to pay for it. I might get a coffee later, I don't really want one anymore. Meet you at one of those couches over there. Don't take too long, we don't have much time before we are near New York."

As Steve walked away, a thousand thoughts raged through his head. _Why did Tony have to be so… so… like he is? It's really well and properly confusing. I love him, I really do, but it takes all my self-control to keep myself from telling him that. I might still be wrong; he might not like me back… like this. This is still all so weird… the world has really changed. In the forties I would be killed if anyone knew I was in love with another man… but here I am now in the 21__st__ century, and it's perfectly okay. God, why does Tony have to be so amazing?_

As Tony watched Steve walk away, a hundred million thoughts coursed through his brain. _Gods, why is Steve so… hot? And amazing? And wonderful? And hot? And does he even love me back? What was that little comment about me not getting it earlier? Did that mean anything? Thank Gods we're not in his time period or we'd both be dead as bricks. He must feel so out of place. I should stop staring at him, even if he is gorgeous, because this room might be empty but I'll bet there's hidden security cameras. And what was Natasha acting all weird about earlier when I was texting her? Does she know that I'm crushing on Steve? Oh shit, I gotta go get my coffee. Coffee makes everything better._

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**I know, it's another cliffhanger. Expect a new update soon, in which something exciting *might* happen... PLEASE REVIEW 3**


	3. Insufferable Uptight Soldier Boy

**NEW CHAPTER! Hope you all like it! **

_Coffee makes everything better. Coffee makes every situation (hopefully) less awkward. Yeah right, Stark, don't lie to yourself. This is going to be as awkward as it gets, coffee or no._

To say the least, Tony was panicking.

Why did this all have to be so complicated? Tony liked complicated things, but this… this was just one thing too complicated for him. But yet, he would have to figure this whole thing out somehow, because if he didn't he would A) lose a bet he made with Pepper (the only one he ever told all his problems to) and he would B) probably be overly depressed for the rest of his living existence. Tony had been in (what he had considered at the time) love before, but this…? This was something wholly different. Yes, he had loved all those other girls (and occasionally, guys) he had ever dated, but this new feeling was as different as the sky is from the earth. This feeling was more of a "need" than a "want;" it was such a need that it almost felt painful. Almost.

Remembering the coffee he was supposed to be getting, he walked over to the mechanism that would make it for him. Of course, Tony being Tony, he liked his coffee a very, very specific way. He had the precise formula figured out in his lab once, down to the chemical makeup of every ingredient, which had immediately been programed into JARVIS, so it wasn't forgotten. Good thing Tony always took JARVIS with him everywhere, literally.

Tony raised his right wrist and pressed the "watch" on it to the machine. "JARVIS, override the coffee machine with file "Coffee 24" please. Oh, and," this time Tony whispered into the watch, "record all you hear from this point until I tell you to stop. Audiovisual."

The almost invisible headset in his ear responded in the AI's familiar, polite tone. "Yes, sir."

Tony stepped back from the machine to admire his handiwork, only to realize that he was being watched. "What, Capsicle?"

Steve looked mildly confused. "Who were you talking to just now?"

"Ohhhhhh…" Tony looked amused. "I don't know if you'll get it, but in my watch is a computer. An artificially intelligent one. His name is JARVIS and he does whatever I tell him to do. For example," Tony raised his hand again, "JARVIS, override the security cameras for this room only, please, and when you respond use the speakers in the watch, hmm?"

"Yes, sir."

Steve stared at Tony's watch. "So this room is now… not being watched? Like, the security cameras can't see us?"

"Not for long, though. SHEILD will probably notice that there are no feeds coming from here and all that shit."

_I don't have long, then_, Steve thought to himself. _Fantastic._

_Oh hell, _thought Tony, _this whole situation will be just like a fucking bomb set up on a timer. A hellishly short timer that's twenty fucking minutes ahead. I'm swearing more now. I must be nervous. DAMNIT!_

Luckily, they were both shaken out of their thoughts by JARVIS alerting Tony to the fact that his coffee was done. Tony went back to the machine, popped the money in, and waited a few seconds for the styrofoam cup to fill. When it was done, he grabbed it, savoring the warmth of the object that calmed his shaking hands. He drank a little; it was perfection on earth. Well, not really, more like pure awesomeness, because perfection on earth was currently sitting on a couch behind Tony wondering why he had gotten himself into this whole mess.

Anyway…

Tony sat on the comfy chair (haha) opposite that of where Steve currently was sitting. There was a coffee table between them where Tony sat down his cup. However, as soon as Tony sat, he realized what a bad decision sitting in that chair was. Now he was forced to look at who he was sitting across from, and for Steve, vice versa. The silence between them was very, very tense, and extremely awkward. Nobody moved. Nobody spoke. Nobody broke the eye contact unless it was for blinking.

Finally, Steve couldn't take it anymore. Going into Leader Mode, he addressed his fellow Avenger, and crush (to be quite honest.)

"Tony," he said, playing the first-name-game, "let's cut to the reason why we're both here. Why are you here, why am I here, why did I ever invite you, the one Avenger I seem to not get along with, to here?"

Tony sat motionless. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Wrong answer, Tony. You know why you're here, but whether you know why I'm here might still be a mystery to you." And to be quite honest, to Tony, it was. To all appearances this looked like just a simple coffee break so that two allies could get to know each other a little better, and Tony's motives for being here might not match that of the outward appearances, but from what Steve seemed to be implying, that's not what it was, and Tony was pretty sure that Steve had not a clue what Tony's motives were for being there. So what was it then? A sneaking suspicion entered Tony's mind, but he thought it impossible and so pushed it away.

Deciding to play dumb, Tony nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders and looked dead on at the super soldier. "I know why I'm here. To talk before the big alien invasion of Earth with one of the guys I'll be fighting with. No biggie."

Steve chuckled like he always did. "Wow, Tony. You are so clueless. So amazingly clueless."

Amazing. That word, amazing, seemed to be popping up lately when Steve talked about Tony.

Suddenly, Tony figured he had enough. He liked knowing things, and there was one thing he desperately needed to know before this little chat was up. He sat up in his chair, looked Captain America dead in the eye, and took control of the situation, because he was Tony Stark, damnit, and nobody, not anybody, messed with Tony Stark. Ever.

"Alright, if I don't know why you're here and I'm so clueless, fill me in. What don't I know? Y'know, I think there's a lot you don't know either, and I don't just mean about modern day shit. I mean about why I'm here. You might think you know, but you probably don't. And if you do, the only way you could would be if you had a spy on your side like Nata-" Tony froze in mid-sentence. Steve was looking at him and grinning broadly, the kind of grin one gets when they've just pulled off a trick or a prank and the victim just realized what's happening. Which, interestingly enough, was pretty much exactly what was going on.

"-… sha. That bitch. She knew all along… She knew… so you know… oh hell." Tony dropped his face into his hands. "Hell… hell… fuck my life… hell… damnit… shit shit shit!"

Steve looked concerned. "What is it, Tony?"

The billionaire's hands flew up in the air. "You! You're it! You have always been it! All my father ever talked about was you, you, you, he never cared for me, and then with you being found in your block of ice all I've been hearing about is you, you, you, in the news, on the street, from Fury, from everyone! And now I meet you and suddenly all I can think about too is _you, you, you_! Don't you get it, Steve? It's you! You're the reason behind my recent snappiness and attitude, the reason behind my bickering with you, because I want to hate you so bad for taking up all my father's attention but I just can't! Because damnit, Steve… Damnit, I'm pretty sure, no very sure, actually I've never been so sure of anything in my life outside of this, I am positive that I am in love with you, you insufferable, uptight, solider boy."

Even though he knew and expected this to happen, Steve was still at a loss for words.

Tony looked at Steve grimly. "See? There. Truth's out. Now before you go judging, I want to know why you're here. Why you invited me for a coffee break. Why Natasha was spying on me."

"Okay, fine. But only under one… uh… condition." Uh oh. The stuttering has returned.

A look of irritation fell on Tony's face, but it was quickly eradicated by curiosity. "Okay… what's that?"

"Come over here and sit next to me. I can't stand talking to anyone sitting so far away from me, it makes the whole situation seem so formal."

Cue the famous Stark scoff. "Right, and you are just the poster child for informality." Steve reddened.

"Oh come on, Tony. That's not funny."

With a sigh, Tony moved himself to the couch to sit next to the man he had just confessed his love for. Curiously, Steve didn't look all that surprised. Tony thought that the whole "loving another guy" situation would be a problem for Steve, being from the forties where guys were killed for that. But then again, if Natasha had been helping Steve with all this, then he probably had it pounded into his head by now that it was okay now, and not a sin (unless you were one of those crazy people that still believed that… Idiots.)

"Okay, Tony. You want to know what I feel about this whole thing?"

"Get on with it, Steve."

And much to the surprise of Anthony Edward Stark, billionaire extraordinaire, scientist and general mischief maker, his idol, his partner in crime-fighting, his fellow Avenger Captain America, Steve Rogers, was kissing him.

**So? What'cha all think? Please click the lonely review button and tell me! I appreciate EVERYONE's reviews, every single one of you, I am mentally giving a batch of cookies to EACH AND EVERY ONE of you guys. Without your support, this story would be dead before its first chapter. This is my longest and most popular story to date. Ever. THANK YOU! And please review :3**


	4. Natasha Knows All

**Oh my gosh... Wow. Just wow. I got so much support on this story... the total number of hits for this is close to 2,000. Wow. You guys' reviews make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. THANK YOU! Cookies to all who read and reviewed this! **

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Captain America was kissing him.

Wait, WHAT?

Not possible. No, this was like... this was... this guy... he's... but... this is Captain America! The man from the time period of "Guy + Guy + any form of love = EVIL". This was not happening... Okay, yes it was. And Tony would be damned if he let the situation go to hell. However, fate had another idea, because just as he was just about to start kissing the Captain back, the blonde pulled out and went as if to stand up.

Fuck you, Fate.

"I- I'm sorr-rry, I don't know wh-why I did that I mean-"

Tony being Tony, he wasn't going to let this happen. It was take-control time. He grabbed Steve's hand, stopping Steve in his tracks. The Iron Man suits might be what makes Tony an Avenger, but they sure weren't his only source of strength. Just because he was a normal (albeit concieted) human being underneath the metal didn't mean he was a weak human. "Sit back down."

"But-"

"Now, damnit." Steve had a look on his face of pure terror. He had been prepared for this, sure, but when he finally kissed Tony his brain just decided to short out, like an overloaded circuit. All his thoughts out the window, he had panicked, but now Tony was slowly bringing him back to reality. He didn't know whether he had decided to sit back down next to Tony or whether he had pulled him back down and forced him into it. Either way, it didn't really matter. He ended up sitting next to the dark-haired billionaire again.

"Tony, I-"

"Shut up." Tony meant what he said. He wanted Steve to shut up, so, _damnit_, Steve would. To get him to do so, Tony kissed _him_. Now their roles were reversed; Steve couldn't believe this was happening, and Tony was the one initiating. This time, though, Fate decided wisely to go bother someone else. Fate's work here was done.

_Oh my gods... oh my gods... holy SHIT holy SHIT this is so CRAZY but wow he's a good kisser-_

JARVIS interrupted Tony's thoughts. "As it seems, sir, SHEILD has taken control of their security cameras again. Would you like me to reoverride them?"

"Not necessary, JARVIS," Tony sighed, pulling away from Steve, "If they see us, they see us, no big fucking deal. None of this is world threatening, life threatening, or potentially harmful to anyone but my sanity, and seeing as how the majority of my sanity is an artificially intelligent supercomputer in my watch, I think it'll be okay."

"But Tony-" Steve interrupted.

"Look here you, I know you're going to say something like "What are the others going to think?", but honestly_ I_ don't give a shit and besides I think a certain redhead already knows..."

At this remark Steve went understandably red in the face. "Before you cut me off this time, I have an explanation for that."

Tony smiled, "Do share."

"I just needed confirmation... you know, that it was okay to feel like this... like... well you know..."

Tony took Steve's hand, tracing patterns on his palm. "I know, I know, it's the forties mentality... Was it hard to break?" He turned his head to look into his crush's light blue eyes.

Steve nodded. Tony could still see a little bit of that deep seated fear of this whole venture not being right hiding in his eyes, so he took this as an opportunity to kiss him again, a comforting kiss, the kind that spoke a billion words without a single noise made. "Tony..." Steve said, their faces still only inches apart, "I was scared. When they were shooting at me and I couldn't pull the lever right when you told me to... when I was just barely holding on to the Hellicarrier, I wasn't afraid for myself. I was so much more scared for you... I would rather have fallen off the Hellicarrier to certain death than to let you down and let you get beat to a metal mass in those blades down there."

Tony didn't know what to say to _that_. He'd never had anyone tell him that they would rather have let him die in his place than let him die... Normally, he didn't have anyone to fight alongside anyway, just him against his enemies, and his enemies would gladly kill him at every chance they had. But now... this was all different. He had a team to fight with. Natasha, Clint, Bruce, Thor... and _Steve. _Steve, who would gladly die in his place than let Tony die. That was... odd, by Tony's standards, but yet it felt so right, because now Tony was getting that feeling, like he would rather die than let Steve die. Because now Tony had something, some_body_ to fight for, something to live for, to look forward to...

Steve spoke again, shaking Tony out of his reverie. "I told Natasha because she was the only one I thought I could talk to about it, being a woman and all, and I know she has the same feelings for another on this ship... Have you seen her look at Clint? Anyway, I knew she'd seen a lot of the world, being from Russia and traveling the world and all, and actually I learned she's not all that mean, once she starts talking to you. But she told me it was perfectly okay here in America... Not everyone approves of it, but most people either don't care or are okay with it. It was so relieving, because I... I..."

"What, Steve, you what?"

"I... I love you, Tony. I've been in love with you since you first spoke... You sounded so much like your father when I first heard you, but then the more you talked the more you sounded like an independent person... And that's why I love you, you're independence from your father, you do what you like and you don't take no for an answer from anybody." He ended his little speech with another kiss, and they stayed like that until it became necessary for them to breathe. They planned on just sitting together and talking until the Hellicarrier had arrived in New York, but apparently the other Avengers had other ideas, because at the same time, Tony and Steve's phones went off.

The text was from Natasha, and read as follows:

**We can't take anymore of this bullshit from Fury. Avengers, assemble at jet dock 6. We're going on ahead, orders to stay here or no. Something's going to happen, soon, and if we don't get there ASAP the world might end. Literally.**

"Well," Tony said, "It's off to battle for us."

Steve nodded, already in soldier mode, "To battle."

Oddly enough, while they were just about to stand up and go to the room where the Avengers' uniforms (and Tony's suit) were, their phones went off again. Tony looked at his and nearly threw it at the wall in anger. _I am going to kill Natasha, I am going to kill Natasha..._

Steve just grinned. Not because of the text, because quite frankly that made him mad too, but because of Tony's childish expression of rage. It was kind of cute, he thought.

Anyway, the text that was sent exclusively to the two of them that made them both a little pissed was also from Natasha, being the snarky chick she is. **That means you too, lovebirds. **

Tony and Steve didn't find that very funny, and discussed just how inappropriate that was on the way to the uniform room. As Tony suited up, part of his brain regretted not being able to watch the Captain change into his spangly outfit, but a rather unused part of his mind told him to shut up and stop being so dirty-minded for once.

Tony was happy. It felt good to be back in the (now repaired) suit again, this time not being battered around in oversized fanblades. That, and he knew that he had someone to fight for.

* * *

**Well? Any good? Sorry if it's a little short, writer's block is a bitch. Still, please review! The review button is lonely! Press it and I'll give you MORE cookies!**


	5. The Beginning of the Possible End

**I'm going to take up a little bit of time here to dedicate this chapter to all my reviewers. Namely to thank you guys, because you really are awesome. Special dedication goes out to **MirrorFlower and DarkWind**, because you've been there for every chapter of this fic, you always have a review for me that's positive. To that anonymous person known as **TheDR**, you're cool too. But only cuz I actually know who you are. To **BurningInWater-DrowningInFire**, this review has got to be one of the few times I've actually been called talented :D Thank you. To **Corantien**, you are awesome too. Good thing my mental cookies have been put to good use. To **LolaKelley, intensewhatever, Slyther-On-In-Sherlock, Aggie12, reader **(anonymous)**, ScarletReidGubler, forgetmenotjimmy**, and** yourmelancholywhore**, your positive reviews… just blew me away. Just made my day. Also, a shout out to **OneTooManyHeadAches**, glad to be your Steve/Tony addiction dealer. Quite frankly I'm addicted too :P And lastly I'd like to say a huge thanks to whoever that person known only as** anon** is, because they said this was their favorite Avengers fanfiction… and that when they saw this was updated it just made their day and they were squealing and jumping up and down. I mean… wow. I've never had any of my fics be considered good enough by someone to be their favorite… this is certainly a first. This is to you, all my wonderful reviewers! To you!**

They met the other Avengers at jet dock six. Of course, some of the Avengers were missing; namely, Bruce and Thor. But the both of them would show up later, of course, because it was rather obvious once you thought of it, that Loki would use Stark tower as his place to launch the oncoming alien attack. But the rest of the Avengers were there; Natasha, aka the Black Widow; Clint, aka Hawkeye; and now, of course, Steve Rogers aka Captain America, and Tony Stark, aka Iron Man. They were assembled and ready to do battle.

"So this is our plan. Hawkeye and I," Natasha started, nodding at Clint, "will take the jet, shooting down as many of whatever Loki decides to bring here. Captain, you're staying on the jet with us until Thor and Bruce get here, and then you're fighting with them. Tony, you and your suit are obviously going to take to the air, but you're going to try to stop these things as soon as they leave the portal. I expect Thor and Bruce to be in New York shortly after us, since when they fell out of the Hellicarrier it wasn't far from the city. And speaking of city, here we go." Natasha opened the door to the little plane, letting Steve get in first, then climbing into the gunner's seat next to the pilot, Clint, leaving Tony standing all on his own at the jet dock. Feeling a sudden urge to talk to Steve, he opened up a communication feed between only himself and his… well, it wouldn't be right to call Steve just a crush now, but he couldn't say boyfriend because that wasn't something they agreed on… oh screw it, Steve was his boyfriend.

"Hey Steve."

"Tony, not now."

"Why not? I might not get to talk to you again until after the battle, because one of us might be dead."

"That line sounds familiar."

"Yeah 'cause you used it on me to get me to go talk to you in the lounge room, remember?"

"Ah, yes. Now I do."

"Nervous for the battle?"

"I think I'm actually less nervous now than I was an hour ago."

"Was that when you were talking to me?"

"Yeah. It was."

By now, the jet was taking off and Tony was flying alongside it. Deciding to be the obnoxious person he could occasionally (read: normally) be, he tapped his metal-encased hand on the bulletproof glass that was the little window next to where Steve sat.

"Hey, look out the window."

He could see Steve's smile out the little window. "I see you, Iron Man."

"Not looking so bad yourself, Captain America."

"You know what, Tony?"

"Hmm?"

"I love you."

"I'd kiss you and tell you the same, only kissing is out of the option at the moment, so all I'm left with is to tell you I love you too."

"Wow, the famous Tony Stark is secretly a hopeless romantic. How cute."

"Not quite. I'm a hope_ful_ romantic, because I'm hoping neither one of us dies in the next few hours."

"You're funny. None of us are going to die, I'll see to that. Well, for you anyway. If you die… well, just don't, okay? Just don't."

"Roger that, Captain."

"Ha. Ha. You're so funny."

And with that last note, they were in the city, the gleaming towers glittering in the distance, the waters surrounding Manhattan Island shining like a star. Unfortunately, the apocalypse was beginning.

Oh, shit.

**Sorry if the chappie is short, this is just a filler chapter until we can get to the real smackdown epic battle against aliens and Loki. Unfortunately, this fic is soon over. I will be starting another fic soon, called "The Melting Point of Iron." Please review :) **


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